The Carbon Footprint of Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse Ale Report by Kris Spaulding, Owner & Sustainability Director Paul McVeigh, Sustainability Intern Table of Contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….2
Definitions of Key Terms……………………………………………………………..4
Units of Measurement & Conversion Factors…………………………..…….5
Summary…..………………………………………………………..……………………..6
Breakdown of Emissions………………………………………………………………7
Upstream……………………………………………………………………………………8
Raw Materials……………………………….…………………………………………...8
Recipe Water………………………………..……………………………………………11
Carbon Dioxide……………………………………………………………….………….11
Packaging and Non-Consumable Materials………….……….………………12
Brewery Operations…………………………………………………………..……….16
Energy Usage………..……………………………………………………..……………16
Manufacturing Waste Disposal……………………………………………………18
Downstream………………………………………………………………..……..…….20
Distribution………………………………………………………..…………………….20
Retail………………………………………………………………...……………………..22
Use……………..……..…………………………………………………………………….24
End-of-Life....………………………………………..……………………………….…25
Can vs. Draft……………………….………………………..…………………………..26
Summary & Conclusions…………………………………………………………....27
References……………………………………………………………………………..…29
-1- Introduction
The background of this report was done in black in hopes you will avoid printing
it. Please contact [email protected] for a printable version.
This study was conducted by Brewery Vivant for the purpose of assessing the
environmental impact of one 16oz can of our Farm Hand French Style Farmhouse
Ale, from the farming of the grains and hops, to the end disposal (hopefully
recycling!) of the can after consumption. Just as important to us as brewing great
beer is being responsible stewards to the world and community we operate in.
We feel that this analysis will help increase transparency of our operations and
help us in our pursuit of sustainability by setting baseline measurements on
which to continuously strive to improve upon.
What Is a Carbon Footprint?
A carbon footprint is an in-depth study of the greenhouse gas emissions
associated with every step of a product’s life cycle. The scope of what we term a
“cradle-to-grave assessment” includes everything from the production and
acquisition of raw materials all the way to the end-of-life of the finished product.
Such studies generally focus on a single unit (i.e. one 20 oz bottle of soda) or a
defined number of units (i.e. one 12-pack of soda cans). In our case, we chose to
use one 16 ounce can of our most popular beer, Farm Hand, as the focus of our
study.
The purpose of conducting a comprehensive carbon footprint study is to increase
transparency of environmental impact, to identify hotspots and opportunities
within a company’s value chain, and to benchmark baseline impacts to which
future progress can be measured. It is important to note that carbon footprints
are not meant to be used for comparison between different businesses or
products. As different standards, emissions factors, assumptions, and
boundaries are used in each study, they should be considered unique and
unrelated.
-2- Previous Industry Studies
To our knowledge there are only a small handful of environmental impact
analyses that have been conducted in the brewing industry. Only one such study,
as far as we know, really set out to accurately quantify greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions and environmental impact, from cradle-to-grave, of a functional unit of
beer. This 2008 report, conducted by New Belgium Brewing Company, based in
Fort Collins, Colorado, was an invaluable guide for us in putting together this
report and we would like to thank New Belgium for their contribution not only to
us, but to the pursuit of sustainability, especially in the brewing industry. We
would also like to thank everyone who contributed to this report, including our
suppliers, distributors, retailers, and of course our awesome brewery staff.
-3- Definition of Key Terms
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – The primary greenhouse gas associated with human
activities, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels.
CO2 Equivalents (CO2e) – Other greenhouse gas emissions, aside from carbon
dioxide, are directly associated with human activities. These gases, including methane
(CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and perfluorocarbons, are weighted according to their global
warming potential, relative to that of CO2.
Class 6 Truck – A truck (in this study, used in regional distribution) whose gross
vehicle weight is between 19,501 and 26,000 lbs.
Class 8 Truck – A truck (in this study, tractor-trailers used for transportation) whose
gross vehicle weight rating exceeds 33,000 lbs.
Climate Change – The effect by which increases in greenhouse gas emissions, from
human activities such as deforestation and the burning of hydrocarbons, leads to
changes in our natural climate cycle by altering the amount of longwave radiation
trapped inside our planet’s atmosphere.
Global Warming Potential (GWP) – Emissions numbers are commonly normalized
into carbon dioxide equivalent numbers by multiplying them by a weighted GWP
number. The EPA reported numbers used in this study were 21 for N2O and 310 for
CH4. That is to say, one unit of nitrous oxide has the same effect as 21 units of CO2 and
methane has the same effect as 310 units of CO2.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) – This refers to the naturally occurring gases in our
atmosphere that emit and absorb radiation, greatly affecting our planet’s climate. It has
been shown that human activities, primarily post-Industrial Revolution, have added
significant amounts of these gases to the atmosphere, causing concern that it
contributes directly to climate change.
Liquification – the condensing of a gas into a liquid
Submeter – A meter, used in conjunction with main utility meters, to separate out how
much usage is going to one particular process or activity.
-4- Units of Measurement & Conversion Factors
Hectare (ha) – 10,000 square feet or 2.47 acres
Kilogram (kg) – 1,000 grams or 2.2 pounds
Kilometer (km) - 0.62 miles
Tonne (Mt) – 1,000 kilograms or 2,204.6 pounds; also written as metric ton
Nautical Miles (NM) – 1.15 miles or 1.85 kilometers
Ton-Mile – A measurement unit equivalent to a ton of freight moved one mile. This is
used in our railroad transportation calculations.
Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) – An inexact way of measuring the volume
capacity of a cargo container. For purposes of this study, we are accepting the
assumption that 1 TEU = 21,600kg.
-5- Summary
418.97 g CO
e
2
Total Carbon Footprint of Farm Hand
As a comprehensive study of the
greenhouse gas emissions that are
a direct result of a can of Farm Hand,
we took into account everything from
the acquisition of the raw materials
to the actual brewing process, and all
the way to end-of-life.
Through this footprint, we have
identified the largest contributors of
carbon dioxide and its equivalents to
be the electricity and natural gas used
in our brewing operations, the
refrigeration of the finished beer in
distribution and retail locations, and
production of aluminum for our cans.
We hope to use this report to benchmark
future progress and isolate areas, such as
our own energy and water consumption, to
improve upon.
Barley Wheat Hops Water CO2 Aluminum Plastic Brewing Distribution Retail Use End-­‐of-­‐Life -6- Breakdown of Emissions
Contributor
Category
Emissions
_____________________________________________
Brewing Natural Gas Aluminum Production Barley Agriculture Retail Utilities Retail Refrigeration Brewing Electricity CO2 Production Wheat Agriculture Home Refrigeration Barley Transport Can Storage Utilities Plastic Production Transport to Retail Wheat Transport Hops Agriculture Distributor Refrigeration Water (Non-Consumable) Transport to Distributor QuadPak Transport Water (Consumable) Aluminum Transport
Hops Transport Distributor Utilities End-of-Life Transport
Energy Packaging Agriculture Energy Refrigeration Energy Carbon Dioxide Agriculture Refrigeration Transportation Energy Packaging Transportation Transportation Agriculture Refrigeration Water Treatment Transportation Transportation Water Treatment Transportation Transportation Energy Transportation
Total
139.54 g 75.95 g 57.61 g 38.04 g 22.32 g 18.64 g 15.78 g 12.56 g 11.27 g 8.14 g 6.50 g 6.30 g 2.45 g 1.12 g 0.67 g 0.61 g 0.41 g 0.30 g 0.28 g 0.19 g 0.17 g 0.06 g 0.04 g 0.02 g
418.97 g
-7- Upstream
Raw Materials (Consumable)
Barley
65.75 g CO2e
Agriculture
57.61 g CO2e
The planting, irrigation, and harvesting of barley is an extremely energy and water
intensive process. A thorough carbon footprint of barley agriculture was published in
2011, which we have used to base our calculations on. The study, conducted in Finland,
found greenhouse gas emissions for the conventional tilling of a hectare of barley to be
2,330 kg CO2e. This is based on an average yield of 3,380 of barley per hectare (1
hectare = 10,000 meters2) of harvested farmland.i The 101.07 g of barley that go into
making a can of Farm Hand, using the study’s finding of 0.57 g CO2e per gram of
harvested barley, is responsible for 57.61 g of CO2 equivalents being released into our
atmosphere.
Transportation
8.14 g CO2e
The malted barley we purchase for Farm Hand is grown in the Beloeil region of Belgium.
Without being able to pinpoint an exact international shipping route, we are assuming
that the grains are sent via class 8 (or EU equivalent) truck to the Port of Antwerp.ii We
are using a Post-Panamax class container ship as the vessel for basing our calculations
on (as it does not need to pass through the Panama Canal, it is likely this size ship is
used), which emits an average of 1,241 kg CO2e per nautical mile.iii The average cargo
weight, or deadweight tonnage, for this class of ship is around 100,000 tonnes, of which
our barley constitutes a miniscule portion.iv The coefficients used to determine CO2e
equivalent emissions from trucking are different between domestic and international
trucking due to a difference in average trucking fuel efficiency between the United States
-8- and the European Union. The EPA has reported average miles per gallon to be 7.3 mpg
in the United States for single-unit commercial trucking,v while we obtained an estimate
of 7.66 mpg for international trucking, by averaging two separate studies.vi
Using our estimated fuel efficiency numbers, along with our EPA-reported carbon
emissions factors for diesel which states that for every mile driven, roughly 10.15 kg of
CO2 and equivalents will be emitted,vii we have calculated the shipping of barley from
the Beloeil region of Belgium to the shipping port in Antwerp to be responsible for 0.32
g of CO2e. Traversing 3269 nautical miles of the Atlantic Ocean, to New York, accounts
for an additional 4.10 g CO2e. From New York, the grains board a train and are shipped
to Union Station in Chicago, Illinois emitting along the way another 2.71 g CO2e.viii The
last stage of transport involves being shipped the 25 miles to Mid Country Malt in South
Holland, Illinois and then the final 166 mile trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan which
together account for 1.01 g CO2e.
Wheat
13.68 g CO2e
Agriculture
12.56 g CO2e
There are many contributors to the emission of carbon throughout the farming of wheat
including the production of seeds, tillage, fertilization, and harvesting. Using the 2011
study conducted by Rajaniemi, Mikkola, and Ahokas, concerning agricultural
contribution of CO2 and its equivalents, we were able to assess the impact of this facet of
production. The study found that the average crop yield is 3,940 kg of harvested wheat
per hectare of farmland. From the planting of the seeds to the harvesting of the wheat,
this process contributes 2,250 kg CO2e per hectare, or 0.59 g CO2e per gram of wheat
yielded.ix Using this standard, we can allocate 12.56 g CO2e to the agriculture of the
21.28 g of wheat used in 16 ounces of Farm Hand.
Transportation
1.12 g CO2e
The wheat we use in the beer comes from Gilbertson & Page, and is shipped from the
city of Calgary in Canada. As freight train routes were not available, we used passenger
railway routes to get an estimate of the distance between Calgary and South Holland,
1607 miles.x Using our standard emission factor of 25.43 g CO2e /ton-mile, the grain
allocated for 16oz of Farm Hand account for 0.96 g of CO2e that is released into our
atmosphere. From South Holland, Illinois the wheat is sent on to Brewery Vivant via
tractor-trailer, which emits an additional 0.16 g of CO2e.
-9- Hops
0.73 g CO2e
Agriculture
0.67 g CO2e
Just as with barley, there are many steps in the growing and harvesting of hops in which
CO2 and its equivalents are emitted. As we could not find any reliable data on the
growing of hops, we decided to use the agriculture of hemp as a substitute for this
portion of the study. Both Cannabis (hemp) and Humulus (hops) are from the genus
Cannabaceae and have fairly similar growth and maintenance characteristics.
Agriculture between the two does vary, as Cannabis is an erect plant while hops are a
twining plant that is grown vertically. However, we felt this was a good stand-in for
reliable secondary data on hops.
From a study conducted in 1996 considering the emissions stemming from the growth
and harvesting of cotton and hemp, we found that for every tonne of hemp fields
cultivated and harvested, there are 947 kg CO2e emitted.xi The hops that go into making
one 16oz serving of Farm Hand constitute only 0.000071% of this metric tonne, so we
can allocate 0.67 g of CO2e and its equivalents to one can.
Transportation
0.06 g CO2e
The three types of hops used in Farm Hand come from different locations and involve
many stages of transportation before arriving at the brewery. Two of the strains are
harvested in Europe, one from Germany and one from the Czech Republic, and require
shipment across the Atlantic along with transportation via freight train and trucking.
Only 0.71 g of these hops can be allocated to one 16 oz can of beer, so impact is quite
minimal.
For the domestic transportation involved, we have calculated emissions using our
standards for class 8 trucks and diesel-electric freight trains. Information was limited
as to the specific route our hops take while abroad, so we have assumed transport via
truck from growing regions in Bohemia, CZ and Bavaria, DE to the Port of Hamburg in
Germany.xii As the container ship used to traverse the Atlantic does not need to pass
through the Panama Canal or any other narrow passages, we have assumed for our
study that it is a Post-Panamax class vessel.
In total, international trucking to the Port of Hamburg accounts for only 0.008 g of CO2e
being introduced into our atmosphere from the 0.37 g of our European hops. In the
3,524 nautical miles traveled from Hamburg to New York, approximately 0.016 g CO2e
is emitted.xiii Total domestic railroad transportation, including both routes from a
growing area near Yakima, WA to Chicago and also from the shipping port in New York,
account for 0.029 g of CO2e.xiv All domestic travel via tractor-trailer, the bulk of which is
from our distributor in South Holland to Brewery Vivant, accounts for 0.007 g of CO2e.
-10- Recipe Water
0.19 g CO2e
Amount Used
25.55 oz
The water that ends up in the beer itself is introduced in three separate steps during the
brewing process. First, base water is poured into the mash tun before the grains are
added, to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Water is again added during the
mashing process, more is added during the sparging process, where water is poured
through the lauter tun to extract sugars from the grains and again as the beer is filtered.
The sparging process is where the majority of the consumable water is introduced. It
should be noted that this water does not all end up in the beer itself; much is lost during
the early stages of the brewing process.
Water Treatment
0.19g CO2e
All of our water comes from the Grand Rapids municipal water supply. The source of
CO2e emissions is the electricity required by the various processes of treating the water,
including sedimentation, flocculation, and filtration. To gauge the CO2e output directly
associated with our beer, we have obtained data from the city of Grand Rapids for ten
months of electricity usage from mid 2010 to mid 2011. The average electricity
consumption for the treatment facility was 1272.1 kW-h per million gallons (or roughly
0.0013 kW-h per gallon) of clean water produced.xv Using eGRID reported emission
numbers for the state of Michigan, this equates to 0.9629 g CO2e per gallon of water
used in the brewing process, or 0.007523 g CO2e per ounce.xvi Thus, for the 25.55 oz of
consumable water used in each 20 Bbl batch, 0.19 g of CO2e is produced.
Carbon Dioxide
15.78 g CO2e
The CO2 we use to fill our cans and kegs at the brewery comes from Carbonic Systems in
Grand Rapids. Unfortunately, with our automated system, we don’t have an accurate
measure of exactly how much carbon dioxide goes into each can. To get an idea of how
much CO2 is infused into each can of our beer, we looked at New Belgium’s The Carbon
Footprint of Fat Tire Amber Ale, which stated that for every six-pack of 12 ounce
bottles, they used 54.5g of CO2 for carbonation.xvii Using this for a rough estimate of
how much carbon dioxide goes into carbonating beer on the commercial level, we figure
that roughly 0.757g of CO2 are used per ounce of finished beer. For our 16oz cans, this
comes out to be 12.11g of CO2.
Processing
15.78 g CO2e
-11- Following New Belgium’s lead, we used secondary data for the electricity consumption
of the liquefying process, using nitrogen processing as a proxy, as we couldn’t find any
reliable data concerning CO2 specifically. The different stages and processes of
producing commercial-grade CO2 is much the same as producing N2, so it should give
us a good picture of our CO2 equivalent emissions from the processing of this input
material. A very energy intensive process, liquification alone can consume around 400
kW-h per tonne produced.xviii There are other steps in the process that we are not taking
into account, due to lack of reliable information, but liquification is the biggest
contributor so we felt we should include it. Going by our electricity emissions factors for
the State of Michigan, this comes out to a total of 302.78 kg CO2e per tonne. Allocated to
one can of Farm Hand, the production of 12.11 g of carbon dioxide used for carbonation
is responsible for 3.67 g CO2e. The amount of carbon dioxide itself, 12.11 grams, is also
included in our total, as it is processed from fossil carbon.
Packaging & Non-Consumables
Aluminum
76.12 g CO2e
When Brewery Vivant started up in 2010, we made the choice to can all of our beer,
quite unconventional for a craft brewer.xix One of the biggest drivers in our decision to
do this was that aluminum cans are significantly lighter to ship and are much easier to
reprocess into new products at the end of their life. We also liked that people are more
likely to recycle metal than any other material and that the aluminum can is the only
package that more than covers its recycling cost, thus helping to finance the collection
and recycling of other materials.xx It just made sense.
Our cans come from Ball Corporation, the industry leader in aluminum packaging
solutions and a company also focused on sustainability. The 16 oz can that Farm Hand
comes in has an empty weight of 17 g and is manufactured using approximately 68%
recycled aluminum.xxi
-12- Production
75.95 g CO2e
Virgin Content
54.14 g CO2e
The virgin inputs in each 16oz can make up approximately 32% of the material, or
5.44 g by weight. As reported by the EPA, the process of manufacturing and
transporting virgin aluminum for cans emits 10.97 MT CO2e/Short Ton.xxii
Attributed to one 17 g can, the emissions from virgin steel inputs come out to
54.14 g CO2e.
Recycled Content
21.81 g CO2e
Recycled inputs make up roughly 68% of every can, or 11.56 g by weight. The
emissions from the processing and transporting of these inputs total 2.08 MT
CO2e/Short Ton, significantly lower than that of virgin aluminum.xxiii Of this, we
can associate 21.81 g of CO2e directly to the production of one can of Farm Hand.
Transportation
0.17 g CO2e
Empty aluminum cans are transported from Ball’s Metal Beverage Packaging Division in
Monticello, IN to our warehouse in Walker, Michigan, a distance of 196 miles via I196N. Using our assumed trucking standards of 10.15 kg CO2e per mile, with a full cargo
load the trip will emit 272.83 kg CO2e into the atmosphere. Considering the 17 g weight
of each empty can, 0.16 g CO2e can be attributed to a single 16oz can.
The second, much shorter leg of the journey from our warehouse to the brewery is 9.6
miles in length. This trip is responsible for approximately only 0.008 additional grams
of CO2e per can.
Storage
6.50 g CO2e
We are currently warehousing empty cans at a building in Walker, Michigan until we
need them for canning at the brewery. On average, we estimate that a can stays at our
warehouse for around 6 months before actually being brought to the brewery to be filled
and sealed.
Electricity
5.00 g CO2e
According to the North Carolina Energy Office, the average electricity
consumption for a non-refrigerated warehouse is 4.5 kW-h/ft2 per year.xxiv Using
-13- the eGRID emissions factor of 756.96 g CO2e per kW-h, this equates to a total of
1,703.16 g CO2e per square foot of storage over six months time. As one can takes
up 0.047 ft2 of vertical space, and are stacked 16 high, it is responsible for 5 g
CO2e of this.
Natural Gas
1.50 g CO2e
The NCEO also gives an estimate of 19.2 kBtu/ft2 per year for this type of space.
As one therm of natural gas is responsible for 5,319.6 g CO2e,xxv 0.192 therms (the
equivalent of 19.2 kBtu) are responsible for 1,021.36 g CO2e over a year. One can
takes up only 0.047 ft2, and is in a pallet 16 rows high, so we can attribute 1.5
grams of CO2e for the half year sitting in storage.
Plastic
6.58 g CO2e
The connectors we use in our four packs of Farm Hand come from PakTech, based out
of Eugene, Oregon, and are made out of 96% post-consumer recycled content. PakTech
recently put together their own life cycle assessment of their QuadPak connectors, which
was extremely helpful to us in pinning down emissions directly attributable to our use of
their packaging products. The LCA was conducted on connectors containing 87% PCR
material, but we thought it best to use their primary data rather than estimate based on
secondary data.
Production
6.30 g CO2e
PakTech found the total CO2e emissions from conversion and manufacturing of a
QuadPak connector to be 25.20 g CO2e.xxvi As each connector holds four cans, each can
is directly accountable for a quarter of these emissions, or 6.3 g CO2e.
Virgin Content
5.72 g CO2e
The connectors we purchase are made out of 87% recycled HDPE plastic and 13%
virgin material. According to the EPA, processing and manufacturing HDPE
from virgin sources emits 10.83 times more CO2e emissions than does recycled
material. Based on this assumption, we can attribute roughly 5.72 g CO2e to the
conversion and manufacturing of virgin inputs.
Recycled Content
0.58 g CO2e
The remaining emissions come from the processing of recycled plastic, which is
significantly less than with virgin material. Using EPA reports on HDPE
-14- production we can attribute around 0.58 g CO2e to the 87% of recycled content in
each QuadPak connector.
Transportation
0.28 g CO2e
Four-pack connectors are shipped to Brewery Vivant from PakTech via class 8 tractortrailer. The route, passing through Salt Lake City, UT and Chicago, IL, is approximately
2,400 miles in length and, assuming a fuel efficiency of 7.3 mpg, and consumes around
406.8 gallons of diesel fuel. As reported by the EPA, 10.15 kg CO2e is emitted per mile
driven in this type of diesel truck, so the trip accounts for approximately 3,340.8 kg
CO2e. As one connector accounts for only 10g of the assumed maximum 30,000 kg
cargo load, we can attribute 1.1 g CO2 per QuadPak connector. Of this, one quarter is
directly associated with one can of Farm Hand, which comes out to be 0.28 g of CO2e.
-15- Brewery Operations
Energy & Water
Electricity
18.64 g CO2e
Power needed to run our brewing operations, refrigeration, air conditioning, and other
equipment comes from Consumers Energy in the form of traditional, coal-fired
electricity. Furthermore, taking into account the full carbon emissions from traditional
energy sources will serve as additional encouragement to work to adopt on-site
renewable energy generation in the future.
In a six-month energy and water study conducted by The Green Brewery Projectxxvii in
2013, it was found that the biggest electricity users were the rooftop air handler units
(RTUs) that air condition the brewery and the glycol chiller system which are circulated
through the fermenting tanks and cold room condensers. These systems account for
over half of the electricity used at Brewery Vivant (variable depending on the season).
These systems, along with the brewery’s lighting, should be the main target for reducing
electricity consumption on the brewery operations side of Vivant.
In the future, sub-meters will be installed to differentiate between electricity going
directly to brewing operations and electricity going to run our brewpub. In the interim
time before this equipment is installed, we chose to estimate this number by taking the
emissions from our annual electricity use, and multiplying it by the percentage of
revenue represented by one can of Farm Hand.xxviii Our eGRID emissions factor for the
State of Michigan holds that 756.96 g of CO2e are emitted for every kilowatt-hour of
electricity used. Assessing the impact of just one can, we have determined that
approximately 18.64 g CO2 equivalents are released as a result of production.
-16- Natural Gas
139.54 g CO2e
Heat in our brewery, used both in the boiling processes during brewing and in climate
control comes from DTE Energy in the form of conventional natural gas. Though a
great deal of natural gas is used in the brewing process itself, we had to separate out the
natural gas used for heating our brewery during our cold Michigan winters. While submeters will soon be installed to separate the brewery and brewpub, we found the best
option for the purpose of this study was to take the CO2e equivalent emissions that come
from our total annual gas consumption and multiply it by the percentage of our total
annual revenue that comes from one can of Farm Hand.
Using the US Energy Information Administration emissions factors of 5.306 kg CO2, 0.5
g CH4, and 0.01 g NO2 per therm of natural gas,xxix we calculated the CO2 equivalent
based on the appropriate global warming potential (over a 100-year period, methane is
21 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere and NO2 is 310 times more
effective). The CO2 equivalent emissions from one therm of natural gas are 5,319.6 g
CO2e. By taking the minute percentage of our annual revenue that one can of Farm
Hand contributes, we estimate that a can is attributable to 139.54 g CO2e being released
into the atmosphere.
Non-Consumable Water
0.41 g CO2e
Amount Used
53.97 oz
In The Green Brewery Project’s 2013 audit, water use was studied by setting up a series
of flow meters at different points in the brewery, measuring the flow of hot and cold
water and separating out brewery from brewpub. In the time period from June 10 to
July 22, the team measured that 80,196 gallons of water were used in the brewery,
during which time 520 Bbl, or 16,120 gallons, of beer was brewed. Through this data,
we can approximate that we are getting, on average, a 4.97:1 water-to-beer ratio. Per 16
oz can, this means our total water consumption is roughly 79.52 oz.
By subtracting out the water going into recipe, which we know to be 25.55 oz, we can
associate a total of 53.97 oz of non-consumable water to each can of Farm Hand. This
includes all water used for the rinsing and cleaning of equipment, as well as spillover
from our hot liquor tank, filtering, and other steps in the brewing process.
-17- Water Treatment
0.41 g CO2e
We can use the same number from the consumable water portion of our study, taken
from our eGRID emissions data, of 0.007523 g CO2e per ounce of processed water. For
the 91.25 oz of water that goes into brewing Farm Hand, but doesn’t end up in the can,
we can associate 0.41 g of CO2e to the processing and water treatment.
Waste Disposal
As a business that is trying to come as close to zero-waste as possible, we are proud to
say that we either recycle or compost all packaging and transport material, including all
pallets, grain bags, cardboard, strapping, and plastic wrap. The only landfilled waste we
could pinpoint coming out of our brews is sludge left over after the brewing process.
Landfilling
0.00 g CO2e
The only waste from our brewing process that isn’t diverted from the landfill is the
sludge that is taken from the bottom of the kettle after brewing. While all spent grain is
given to a local rodeo performer (yes, you read that right) to be used as animal feed,
there remains a fair amount of wet sludge, which is not composted due to the large
amount of standing water it would introduce into our compost bin.
Recycling
0.00 g CO2e
A fantastic perk of being located where we are in East Hills is that we are right down the
street from Tree Huggers, a terrific packaging-free organic grocery store that also acts as
a recycling hub and “green learning center.”
All polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastics and other recyclable
waste, including the strapping used in the transport of cans, is taken by our friends at
Tree Huggers. It is not in the scope of this study to include any emissions after it arrives
at Tree Huggers, as it takes on a “new life” by being re-processed and re-sold as a new
-18- product. Being only 0.4 miles away, the 5 lbs of recyclable waste we have has effectively
zero emissions when considering the allocation of emissions to one can.
Composting
0.00 g CO2e
We have chosen to compost organic waste such as our cardboard shipping boxes, filter
pads, and grain bags, as it requires no additional energy to transport and re-process the
materials, and mixed with food waste from our kitchen, makes a terrific natural
fertilizer. Furthermore, composting leads to an increase in carbon sequestration in the
soil, so there is actually a small reduction in CO2 emissions from this activity. This
sequestration, accounting for the organic composted waste associated with one can of
Farm Hand, is so small we have chosen to consider it equivalent to zero for the purpose
of this study.
-19- Downstream
Distribution
Transportation
2.75 g CO2e
To Distributor
0.30 g CO2e
Before a can of Farm Hand reaches one of the dozens of retailers who carry our beer, it
first takes a trip over to our distributor’s warehouse, Kent Beverage, located on 36th
Street in Grand Rapids. This trip is approximately 5.1 miles in distance, via class 6
beverage truck, which the Center for Transportation Analysis has reported to get
between 5 and 12 miles per gallon (which we averaged out to be 8.5 mpg). xxx Assuming
a cargo load of 10,000 kg (22,046 lb), one full can which weighs 497 g can be associated
directly with 0.3 g CO2e.
To Retail
2.45 g CO2e
While it is easy to calculate emissions between the brewery and the distribution center,
it is much trickier to pin down emissions from transit between Kent Beverage and one of
our many retail locations, at greatly varying distances, across Michigan. We felt that,
rather than skewing the numbers with a close location or a location farther away, we
could approximate it with more certainty by taking an average of emissions between a
number of locations. We chose four retailers in the Grand Rapids area and four retailers
located farther away to base this calculation on. Between these 8 stores, ranging in
distance from between 4 miles and 100 miles away from our distributor, we found the
CO2e emissions from the class 6 transport of a full can to be 2.45 grams.xxxi
-20- Refrigeration & Storage
0.65 g CO2e
Refrigeration
0.61 g CO2e
When being stored at our distributor’s refrigerated warehouse before being sent to one
of our retailers, a good deal of electricity is used to power the chilling units, as well as
the lighting and other essential systems. A 2010 report, published by the North Carolina
Energy Office lists total annual electricity usage per square foot as 28.8 kW-h,
respectively.xxxii Using our eGRID numbers, we know that this equates to 21,800.45g
CO2e annually, per square foot. Per can, which only takes up 0.047 ft2 vertically and in a
pallet stacked 32 high, this comes out to 32.02g CO2e per can, per year. xxxiii Taking into
account that a can typically sits in the warehouse for 7 days before being shipped out,xxxiv
this comes out to 0.61g CO2e per can during the storage stage.
Natural Gas
0.04 g CO2e
Calculating natural gas was much the same as electricity for pre-retail storage. The
NCEO study cited also lists natural gas usage for these types of facilities, 23.3 kBtu
ft2/year, which is the equivalent of 0.233 therms ft2 per year. Allocated to one can for
the 7 days it will typically sit, this comes to 0.04g of CO2 and equivalents being emitted
due to natural gas.
-21- Retail
Refrigeration & Overhead
60.36 g CO2e
Upon arriving at a retail location, the back stock of cans is generally stored at room
temperature until it goes into a refrigerated display unit. We feel that by taking into
account both the actual electricity needed to power the refrigeration units, and also the
overhead of the store as a whole, we are covering all of the bases.
Refrigeration
22.32 g CO2e
There is a sizeable difference between emissions from the closed-door, hermeticallysealed refrigeration cabinets generally used in small convenience stores and liquor
stores, and the large, open front chillers found in supermarkets and big-box stores. A
2006 study, published by Evans, Scarcelli, and Swain, on the energy performance of
retail chilling units was instrumental in pinpointing the emissions from storing Farm
Hand at a given retail store. We have split the following refrigeration emissions into
both small and large retailers.
Liquor, Convenience, & Specialty Stores
9.09 g CO2e
Small stores comprise the majority of our retailers, around 54%.xxxv Speaking to a
local retail store, we were able to get a better picture of just how long our beer
stays on the shelf and the type of coolers that are used. As shelves in these
coolers are dominated by bottles of beer (generally six-packs), and not four-packs
of cans, we had to get an estimate of how many a cooler would fit. Together with
our retailer contact, Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids, we concluded that a
cooler that normally fits 72 six-packs should fit 108 four-packs, meaning one can
constitutes 1/432nd of a commercial closed-front cooler. Siciliano’s, who sells our
cans both in four-packs and individually, has estimated that a single can will sit
in the cooler for one day before being purchased.xxxvi
The type of closed-front refrigerating units typically used by these retailers is
reported to use approximately 0.4 kilowatts of electricity per hour of use.xxxvii
Over the day our can sits on the shelf, this equates to a total of 9.6 kW-h of
electricity being consumed. Using again our eGRID emission data for the State of
Michigan, 756.96 g CO2e per kW-h of electricity, the emissions from the power
consumption of the cooler running for a full week are 7.27 kg of CO2e. One can’s
share of this comes out to be 16.83 g CO2e and, as these stores constitute 54% of
our retail chain, we can allocate 9.09 g CO2e to one can of Farm Hand.
-22- Large Retailers
13.23 g CO2e
Many large grocery chains, including Meijer and Spartan Stores, currently carry
our beer. These make up the other 46% of our retail store network. We found
the most common refrigeration unit to be the Hussman D5X-E merchandiser,
typically the 12-foot model, though some stores use the 8-foot and 6-foot
models.xxxviii We have chosen to use the 12-foot model, as it was the most
commonly found.xxxix According to the Evans study, this type of merchandising
display consumes 5.3 kilowatts of electricity, which equates to 127.2 kW-h over
the day that our can of beer typically stays on the shelf. Thus, the total daily
emissions from powering this type of cooler are 96.29 kg CO2e.
A major plus of using cans is that, unlike glass bottles, they can be stacked. Not
all retailers stack our cans on display but in observing different stores, we noticed
that roughly half have two rows stacked on top of one another. As a typical 12foot commercial display can fit 372 six-packs, we estimate it can fit 558 fourpacks or 1,116 if they are stacked two high. Taking an average between the two,
we hold that a single can will take up 1/3,348 of a typical display. Allocating our
total emissions from a day’s worth of electricity to one can, this comes to 28.76 g
CO2e and, as these stores are 46% of our total retail chain, we can pro-rate this as
13.23 g CO2e.
Utilities
38.04 g CO2e
Retail stores, both big and small, cannot operate without electricity and natural gas to
keep the store comfortable and essential equipment running. These utilities, of course,
account for carbon dioxide and its equivalents being released into our atmosphere.
Liquor, Convenience, & Specialty Stores
32.78 g CO2e
As secondary data wasn’t readily available concerning typical energy
consumption by smaller beverage retail stores, Siciliano’s Market in Grand
Rapids was a great help in pinpointing these emissions. Through primary energy
consumption information provided by Siciliano’s, we were able to allocate 0.0035
kW-h of electricity associated with storing a can for the day it will typically sit on
a shelf or in a cooler.xl As revenue and other information is proprietary in nature,
we cannot disclose publicly how we reached this number. Using again our eGRID
emissions data, we can attribute 2.65 g CO2e to the electrical consumption used
by Siciliano’s, pro-rated down to one can’s share.
Looking at natural gas in a similar way, we were able to allocate roughly 0.0057
therms of natural gas to the storage and display of one of our cans for a day.
Again using our EPA reported emissions factors of 5.306 kg CO2, 0.5 g CH4, and
0.01 g NO2 per therm of natural gas, we calculated emissions to be 30.13 g CO2e
-23- per can of Farm Hand.
Large Retailers
5.26 g CO2e
Using data from a study conducted by the EPA in 2003 on energy consumption
by supermarkets, we know that an estimated 51.3 kW-h of electricity and 0.38
therms of natural gas are used annually, per square foot, in these larger stores.xli
Going again to our eGRID emissions factor, we can determine that these stores
generate roughly 38.83 kg CO2e per square foot of space. As one can takes up
6.786 in2 of space, or 0.047 ft2, and a can typically only sits for a day, we can
attribute 5 g of CO2e to the electricity associated with storage. Similarly, the
natural gas used in a supermarket, when allocated to a single can, comes out to
0.26 g CO2e.
Use
Refrigeration
11.27 g CO2e
Home refrigeration units range greatly in size, age, and energy efficiency, which makes
it hard to assign an exact CO2e number, but we have calculated a good representation of
the power it would take to cool our beer for a week (if you can keep it in the fridge that
long).
As energy consumption varies widely with the type of fridge, we have found an average
of four numbers for different ages and sizes of refrigerators. We have data on maximum
kW-h from both a 25 cu ft side-by-side unit with in-door ice, and an 18 cu ft top-mount
freezer unit without ice, both from 2001 standards and from 2007 standards. An
average of these four numbers gives us our yearly electricity consumption for a
residential fridge, 500 kW-h, and from that our weekly consumption of 9.6 kW-h. Using
our eGRID data on emissions from our region’s electricity production, we can then
attribute 7.27 kg CO2e per week of refrigeration.
Of course, one can only takes up a fraction of space in any residential fridge. In the topmount model, a 16oz can accounts for roughly 0.16% of the total capacity (ignoring
-24- freezer space) and around 0.15% of the 15 cu ft of fresh food space in the side-by-side.
That’s space for a lot of four-packs! So, of the total weekly emissions correlated with
running your residential fridge, we can allocate approximately 11.27 g CO2e to home
refrigeration of a can.
End-of-Life
Landfilling
0.01 g CO2e
Aluminum cans have a reported recycle rate of 58.1% nationwide,xlii and even higher in
Michigan due to the state’s pay-to-recycle system, which is one of the major reasons we
decided to can our beer instead of the more traditional glass bottles used in the craft
beer industry. As state recycling statistics were not available, we have chosen to use the
national average for aluminum can recycling, meaning that 41.9% of cans find their way
into a landfill and 58.1% are recycled.
The EPA assumed average for a refuse truck route is 32 kilometers, or 19.88 miles. A
class 8 diesel garbage truck driving this route would emit a total of 27,672.96 g CO2, of
which 0.02 grams can be allocated to the transport of one empty can. As 41.9% of total
cans will be, on average, landfilled rather than recycled, we took this percentage of the
total CO2e amount, which comes out to roughly 0.01 grams of CO2e for the landfilling of
our can.
Recycling
0.01 g CO2e
As the recycling process itself is preparing the waste product into an entirely new,
repurposed product, it is not in our scope to include actual processing, but rather we
have limited our scope to take into account transport to the plant. Using the EPA
assumption of an average 19.88 mile truck route to the recycling facility, this will
amount to 0.02 grams of CO2 emissions, based on our EPA garbage truck emissions
factors. With 58.1% of this being sent to recycling, rather than landfill, we can allocate
0.01 grams of CO2 and equivalents to one can of Farm Hand.
-25- In addition to calculating our total footprint per can, we thought it would be cool to see the difference in impact between drinking a can at home and drinking a draft in our brewpub. Enjoying a pint in our pub cuts out a huge portion of the downstream activities associated with the same 16 ounces of beer. Instead of CO2e intensive aluminum production, diesel fuel emissions, warehouse refrigeration, and all of the other activities that go into that can of Farm Hand sitting on your local retailer’s shelf, the only real things that go into a draft pint is some CO2 for kegging, refrigeration, dishwashing of glasses, and the energy used in keeping our brewpub a comfortable place to be. Kegs and glasses are used over and over and over, so they don’t make an impact anywhere close to what a disposable can does. Can On Tap 418.97 g CO2e
341.78 g CO2e
It’s no huge surprise that cutting out so much of the beer’s life cycle results in much lower GHG emissions. All the more reason to enjoy a pint in our brewpub or grab a growler to go! -26- Summary & Conclusions
Upon completing our study, we took a step back and thought
about what it all meant. A number like 412.1 grams, of gases you
can’t see or smell, seems quite arbitrary; what does it mean and
why is it important?
Our goal in conducting this study was to
gain a better and more holistic
understanding of how what we do affects
the world around us. The more we
understand about what we’re doing now,
the more we can work to improve what
we do in the future.
By using the information we have learned
from this study about our carbon
footprint, we have set a baseline for future progress to be compared against.
Furthermore, we have identified some hotspots and key areas we feel need the most
attention. There are, of course, many factors we have very little influence over (like the
type of refrigerator a beer drinker has in their kitchen) but for those we do have direct
control over, this report is a valuable tool in assessing what areas we should focus on
now and in the coming years. And lastly, as one of our tenets of sustainability, we feel
strongly about transparency and being open about our business. Our footprint is a
reminder to us that we aren’t perfect and there is always room to improve. As some wise
person once said, “sustainability is a journey, not a destination.”
Among our key findings, we learned:
o Our electricity and natural gas usage in the brewing process is by far the largest
contributor of greenhouse gases in our beer’s life cycle, roughly 38% of the total
footprint. We would love to incorporate on-site renewable energy generation in
the future and are currently looking into our options.
o Our water-to-beer ratio was higher than we had previously thought. At 4.9:1
water to beer, we have some work to do to get down to our ambitious goal of 3:1.
o In comparing emissions from the production and transport of cans to that of
glass bottles, we found that canning cut GHG emissions nearly in half.xliii
o Emissions from transport, at all stages, were much lower than expected, at
around 4% of the total footprint.
-27- o Agriculture practices used in the farming of our grains and hops, which are
heavily reliant on synthetic fertilizers, are a large contributor of GHG emissions.
Using more organic barley, wheat, and hops in our beers would cut down on the
emissions from this stage.
If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions about our carbon footprint or
any of our other sustainability reporting or initiatives, we’d love to hear from you at
[email protected].
Cheers!
Kris Spaulding, Owner & Sustainability Director
Jason Spaulding, Owner
Paul McVeigh, Sustainability Intern
Brewery Vivant, 2013
-28- References
Data from Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Oats, Barley, Wheat, and Rye Production, 2011
http://agronomy.emu.ee/vol09Spec1/p09s123.pdf
i
Port, routing, and distance information obtained from Searates.com
http://www.searates.com/reference/portdistance/?country1=155&country2=200&fcity1=518&fcity2=169
59&speed=24
ii
iii Calculated
from the EPA’s 2008 document Direct Emissions from Mobile Combustion Sources and
Notteboom and Cariou’s document “ Fuel Surcharge Practices of Container Shipping Lines: Is it About
Cost Recovery or Revenue-making. Proceedings of the International Association of Maritime Economists
Conference, Copenhagen” (2009)
Deadweight tonnage was given as a range between 80,000-109,999 tonnes; we selected 100,000 as it
was a nice, round, reasonable number in this range
http://www.aristonshipping.gr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=21&lang=
en
iv
v
U. S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2010
The two independent reports used to calculate our average were Goodyear’s document Factors affecting
truck fuel economy, which converted to 7.84 mpg
(http://www.goodyear.eu/be_fr/images/Fuel_Economy-ENG_tcm59-34637.pdf) and a case study from
Glass Transport Partners, who reported the equivalent of 7.47 mpg in their trucking fleet (http://fleetfuel-efficiency.eu/en/report/case-studies/glass-transport-partners/)
vi
Calculated from the CO2, N2O, and CH4 data from the EPA document Direct Emissions from Mobile
Combustion Sources (2008) and converted to CO2 equivalent using EPA “global warming potential”
numbers
vii
As with waterborne and highway transport, rail transport numbers were obtained from the EPA’s
Direct Emissions from Mobile Sources document.
viii
Calculated using data from Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Oats, Barley, Wheat, and Rye (2011) by
Rajaniemi, Mikkola, and Ahokas
ix
x
Rail mileage courtesy of Amtrak.com and Canadian Pacific Railroads
xi
Nova Institute, 1996. Das Hanfproduktlinienprojekt. Hürth/Köln, Germany. P172, 386-397 xii
Distances, via truck, to ports abroad were found by mapping out likely routes using Google Maps
Distance between ports was found using Searates.com
http://www.searates.com/reference/portdistance/?country1=163&country2=200&fcity1=1650&fcity2=16
959&speed=24
xiii
All domestic railroad transport distances were found using rail distances for Amtrak Empire builder
and Lake Shore Limited passenger trains traveling similar routes
xiv
xv
Data from City of Grand Rapids spreadsheet, detailing all annual treatment plant utilities
-29- 2012 State-by-State eGRID emissions from electricity production
http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/egridzips/eGRID2012V1_0_year09_GHGOutputrates.pdf
xvi
The Carbon Footprint of Fat Tire Amber Ale, New Belgium Brewing Company
http://www.newbelgium.com/Files/the-carbon-footprint-of-fat-tire-amber-ale-2008-public-dist-rfs.pdf xvii
Frank, K. G. (2006). Industrial Gas Handbook: Gas Separation and Purification (p. 180). Boca Raton:
CRC Press.
xviii
Though unconventional, many any other craft brewers are beginning to move, at least in part, to cans
including New Belgium Brewing, Sierra Nevada, and Arcadia Ales
xix
Why Recycle? The Aluminum Association
http://www.aluminum.org/Content/NavigationMenu/TheIndustry/Recycling/Whyrecycle/default.htm
xx
Average recycled content in aluminum cans was obtained from The Aluminum Association
(http://www.aluminum.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=31569&TEMPLATE=/CM
/ContentDisplay.cfm)
xxi
Emissions data for aluminum production from the EPA document Introduction to WARM and Metals,
detailing the CO2 equivalent emissions from recycled and virgin aluminum inputs (p. 11)
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/waste/downloads/Metals.pdf
xxii
Data taken from the EPA’s Introduction to WARM and Metals PDF document (p. 16)
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/waste/downloads/Metals.pdf
xxiii
Benchmarks - Ranking Building Energy Intensity (2010, May). Retrieved January 22, 2013, from
http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=cd0f4b36-b013-427f-a72e2e1ce9058b48&groupId=38322
xxiv
Calculated using data from the EIA Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program Fuel Carbon
Dioxide Emission Coefficients http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/coefficients.html xxv
All Paktech information comes from an LCA data spreadsheet provided to us by Laura Mann,
Customer Service Account Manager with the company
xxvi
xxvii
“Resource Audit Report,” The Green Brewery Project, 2013
xxviii
Calculated using year-end Brewery Vivant financial statements
Data from the EIA Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program Fuel Carbon Dioxide
Emission Coefficients http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/1605/coefficients.html
xxix
2012 Vehicle Technologies Market Report." Center for Transportation Analysis, 2012. Web. 20 Apr.
2013. <http://cta.ornl.gov/vtmarketreport/pdf/chapter3_heavy_trucks.pdf>.
xxx
For breakdown of transport emissions, see the LCA Emissions Calculations document, compiled by
Brewery Vivant
xxxi
Benchmarks - Ranking Building Energy Intensity (2010, May). Retrieved January 22, 2013, from
http://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=cd0f4b36-b013-427f-a72e2e1ce9058b48&groupId=38322
xxxii
-30- xxxiii The body dimension of one of our cans is 2.605 in2, meaning it will take up 6.786 in2 of space, or
0.047 ft2 xxxiv
From correspondence with sales representative from Kent Beverage
From correspondence with Janet Schleming at Kent Beverage, breaking down distribution to type of
retail location for the period 1/1/2012-12/31/2012 xxxv
xxxvi Correspondence
with Sarah Derylo and Steve Siciliano, owner of Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids
Evans, J. A., Scarcelli, S., & Swain, M. V. L. (2007). Temperature and energy performance of
refrigerated retail display and commercial catering cabinets under test conditions. International Journal
of Refrigeration, 30(3), 398-408.
xxxvii
Observed at local supermarkets including Meijer, Family Fare, and D&W
xxxviii
Specifications on the Hussman D5X-E refrigerated merchandiser display
http://www.hussmann.com/Product%20Data%20Sheets/0463856_h_d5x-e.pdf
xxxix
xl
Correspondence with Sarah Derylo and Steve Siciliano, owner of Siciliano’s Market in Grand Rapids
Sector Collaborative on Energy Efficiency Accomplishments and Next Steps (2008, July). Retrieved
January 4, 2013, from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/documents/suca/sector_collaborative.pdf
xli
Data from 2011 article published by The Aluminum Association
http://www.aluminum.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&CONTENTID=31569&TEMPLATE=/CM/
ContentDisplay.cfm
xliii While the emissions factor of glass is much lower than that of aluminum, the mass of glass needed for a
bottle is much higher than that of a can. NBB reported that a six-pack consists of 2.67 lb of glass, so we
can assume that a 16 oz container uses 267.62 grams of glass, versus only 17 grams of aluminum for one of
our cans. Based on EPA WARM data, we can attribute roughly 160 grams CO2e to the raw material
acquisition, processing and transport of the glass.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/waste/downloads/Glass.pdf
xlii
-31-